It was double the celebration on Wednesday for the University of the Virgin Islands School of Agriculture as they held their official ribbon cutting for their small ruminant livestock and aquaponics facilities. Both facilities were damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and qualified for both federal and local funding.
UVI Interim Vice President Nerida Washington stepped in for the ceremony on behalf of UVI President David Hall, who was under the weather. Washington said that the renovation and rebuild of the aquaponics facility cost about $600,000, and Mence Construction was the contractor company that conducted the repairs.
"Having this facility back in operation means that full research work will resume at the agriculture experiment station in aquaponics, an area that really places UVI on the global map," said UVI dean of the School of Agriculture, Usman Adamu.
"We at the School of Agriculture are so excited because we were looking forward to this facility to be back in operation for a long time," he said Adamu.
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